Sandy
Well-known member
Reports of them off Exmouth this week.
Did i see a tuna
- Thread starter owen
- Start date
longjohnsilver
Well-known member
Unfortunately no sighting of them yesterday when we were out between Exmouth and Beer.
Sandy
Well-known member
Given yesterdays wonderful weather that must have been a super trip. I was waxing the boat ready for winter.
Scillypete
Well-known member
We have been seeing them around Scilly for several years now on a regular basis and back in August on passage from Roscoff to Plymouth we saw a large feeding frenzy with quite a few tuna leaping and thrashing through the water.
Sadly the bluefin is a protected species and the UK has no quota and in theory they are not to be targeted by anglers but as the numbers are apparently on the increase hopefully that will change.
Sadly the bluefin is a protected species and the UK has no quota and in theory they are not to be targeted by anglers but as the numbers are apparently on the increase hopefully that will change.
Seven Spades
Well-known member
Ok anyone got any tips on what gear we need to catch them?
laika
Well-known member
rotrax
Well-known member
PM me - I have a old but good condition Masterstik one piece heavy rod and a Penn Long Beach reel freshly loaded with 15KG tournament monofil line - 500 yards of it.
It will be the right price to a forum member who likes a bit of fishing.
A couple of large Rapala lures, some heavy ball bearing swivels and some 50 kgs leader material will do the rest if you come across them feeding.
Otherwise you might have to simulate a shoal of baitfish with an array of teasers.
For that you will need the right boat equiped with outriggers and downriggers.
Cheaper to keep a lookout for a feeding frenzy and be patient..................................
longjohnsilver
Well-known member
It was gorgeous, but initially quite rough at Beer, but calmed down by the time I’d had a dive, about 35 minutes later.Given yesterdays wonderful weather that must have been a super trip. I was waxing the boat ready for winter.
Here’s a video of a tuna filmed yesterday in the Exe. Wish I’d seen it!
longjohnsilver
Well-known member
Scillypete
Well-known member
sturdy boat rod, big multiplyer reel loaded with braid of a minimum 40lb breaking strain, steel trace and big hook. catch a load of mackerel first then get yourself in the vicinity of the tuna easier said than done, put a mackerel on the hook and lob it in similar to shark fishing, then cut loads of remaining mackerel into chunks and drop some over the side every now and then this will get the fish in close and into feeding mode and hopefully take the bait fish.
remember it’s called fishing not catching
rotrax
Well-known member
No sporting sea angler uses wire much these days, we use really heavy mono leader instead. I use 150lbs BS, about 15 metres, as a shock and abrasion leader.
The Kiwi's look down on wire these days, even for sharks.
Braid IS a great line, but in my experience used with an old fashioned 'snooker cue' rod, its lack of stretch and the lack of flexibility in the rod can cause shock breakages.
Been there, done that.....................
An important bit of kit we both forgot is a gimballed fighting belt!
My younger Brother boated a 560 lb Bluefin off Madeira 35 years ago. Trolled lure, mono trace and leader, stand up rig, no fighting chair. He was a fit young bloke then too.
He was totally knackered for ten days after!
Had trouble holding his pint up............................
The Kiwi's look down on wire these days, even for sharks.
Braid IS a great line, but in my experience used with an old fashioned 'snooker cue' rod, its lack of stretch and the lack of flexibility in the rod can cause shock breakages.
Been there, done that.....................
An important bit of kit we both forgot is a gimballed fighting belt!
My younger Brother boated a 560 lb Bluefin off Madeira 35 years ago. Trolled lure, mono trace and leader, stand up rig, no fighting chair. He was a fit young bloke then too.
He was totally knackered for ten days after!
Had trouble holding his pint up............................
Arcady
Active member
There was one in St Peter Port harbour last month: Facebook Groups
Birdseye
Well-known member
Thats a rareity - throwing it back that is because its worth quite a bit. I am reliably told that small numbers are being caught off Cornwall and landed discreetly since its illegal to do so. But what use is a dead one floating in the water?